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Battle of the Guest Stars: There's more star power on...

November 16, 2000|By Steve Johnson, Tribune Television Critic.

Battle of the Guest Stars: There's more star power on display Thursday than in your average issue of In Style. And none of the furniture!

"Will & Grace" has claimed Cher, Jack's idol, and she is her usual plasticky self, both as a doll that Jack (Sean Hayes) adores and in the flesh. But in this reliably nimble show (8 p.m., WMAQ-Ch. 5), she is put to grand comic use, showcasing the talents of Hayes as the series continues to climb to the top tier of TV comedy.

"Whose Line Is It Anyway?" claims the evening's real coup, landing the perfect guest, Robin Williams, for the show's pop-improvisation format (7 p.m., WLS-Ch. 7). Williams is a great sport, but it's frustrating as everything whizzes inconsequentially by.

On "ER" (9 p.m., Channel 5), Sally Field begins a run as the, um, vibrant mother of Abby (Maura Tierney), who doesn't really, really like her. Field is finely frazzled in it, though you can see the ending scene coming from the moment Abby lays eyes on her. The episode's power is in Dr. Benton's (Eriq La Salle) battle to save his nephew's life, and in the callousness of another doctor's reaction to the boy.

And in the episode I haven't seen, "Just Shoot Me" (8:30 p.m., Channel 5) trots out Jenny McCarthy. Remember her? She plays an old friend of Finch (David Spade) who, ironically, has been made into more woman than she was naturally.